In 2017, Kate Garraway listed Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong as her “all-time favourite” novel. The heartbreaking story, published in 1993, is the British author’s fourth, and is considered “one of the greatest war novels in the English language.”
Birdsong, which forms the loose The French (Charles Hartmann) Trilogy with 1989’s The Girl at the Lion d’Or and 1998’s Charlotte Grey, has an episodic structure that is split into seven separate sections. The 512-page epic follows two main characters, with the first being Stephen Wraysford, a British soldier fighting on the front line of World War One.
The second is his granddaughter Elizabeth Benson, who lives in the 1970s. During the novel, she works to piece together a portrait of her brave relative who experienced the Great War firsthand. Birdsong, which is held in the same favourable regard as Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Pat Barker’s Regeneration Trilogy, is considered to be one of Sebastian Faulk’s finest works.
It’s also been previously adapted for the West End stage on multiple occasions and was rehashed as a three-part radio drama for BBC Radio 4 in 1997. In 2012, Birdsong was transformed into a television series for the BBC.
Speaking about why she loved Birdsong so much, Kate said that she adored the author’s language. “He was a journalist so his language is unflowery yet wonderfully romantic,” she told Express.co.uk.
“It’s a love story set in the First World War, a mesmerising period for me. My grandfather lost his parents in the war.
“His dad died digging tunnels, described so well that you’re there, then his mother died of a broken heart.”
Kate, who has published three books herself, including The Joy of Big Knickers (2017), The Power Of Hope (2021) and The Strength of Love (2023), also said she enjoyed Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
The former, which is being adapted for the silver screen by Saltburn director Emerald Fennell, was listed as a book the mother-of-two “loved” when she was a child.
Meanwhile, Kate admitted she wasn’t too hot on Austen’s novel of manners when she was younger.
“I didn’t like this at school. I found it annoying and petty but I feel awful about that,” she confessed. “I see it differently now. I came to it after watching the TV version which found the humour and passion beneath.”
Pride and Prejudice has had multiple film and television adaptations over the years, including the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, as well as the Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley film, released in 2005.
Earlier this month, Netflix announced author Dolly Alderton would be working with Heartstopper director Euros Lyn to create another faithful adaptation of the beloved novel.
The streaming platform has commissioned six episodes, set to star Marvel actress Emma Corrin, BAFTA winner Jack Lowden and Olivia Colman.
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is available at all good book retailers now.